Weekly Playlist: Labor Day Songs (Part 1)

Labor Day weekend is a catch-22 kind of holiday. Every worker in America appreciates the sacred three-day weekend, but with Labor Day comes the end of summer. Goodbye barbecues, hello winter jackets and slush. Celebrate the last holiday of the season with a collection of songs that speak to the many facets of “working in America” in 2011.

First and foremost, if you are one of the 9.1% of America that is unemployed, remember: employment’s been low before, and we’ve bounced back even stronger. Brooklyn producer Paws samples a radio broadcast from the Great Depression and weaves it into a modern-day electronica soundscape with catchy vocals and Radiohead-esque instrumentation:

But Labor Day Weekend is a time to reflect on those days we’ve worked ourselves to the bone, and do the exact opposite: nothing. Spend a day laying on the grass, or riding a bike, or drive somewhere far away without email access. Extended weekends are meant to spend “time away from the world,” and Mesita, a prolific unsigned artist that releases albums of solid indie rock via his website.

Beyond Labor Day, never forget the lesson learned come Tuesday morning: the importance of relaxing. Switch-off this evening and the next with the captivating jazz/thinking man’s dubstep of Brooklyn trio Archie Pelago, where cello, saxophone, and electronic production meet to create the perfect chill-out sound. Listen to “Dameo 745” below, then grab their free EP from End Fence:

We leave you with one last song for Monday: “Flood,” from the peerless post-rock group based in Queens, NY, The American Dollar. After all, we’re often left pondering why we work the jobs we do, and that green paper scrunched in a back pocket serves, for most, as the strongest incentive.